1. Field of the Disclosure
The invention relates to systems and methods for providing humidification of gas utilizing heating of an aerosolized mist.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional methods for humidifying gas for delivery to a patient utilize a chamber. The water chamber holds a quantity of water that is heated using a heating element. Dry gas is fed into the chamber, where it is humidified. The humidified gas then exits the chamber and is delivered to a patient circuit, which ultimately delivers the humidified gas to a patient. FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a water chamber humidifier 100, including a water chamber 101, a heating element 103, a gas inlet 105, and a gas outlet 107.
Use of a water chamber for humidification poses several drawbacks. For example, the water chamber itself can be unwieldy and therefore is typically located away from a patient (e.g., on a ventilator stand). As such, a conduit must be used to deliver humidified gas from the water chamber to a patient circuit. This arrangement leads to condensation in the humidifier conduits, adds significant resistance and compliance in a patient circuit with a humidifier, utilizes a significant amount of power (which typically requires an independent power supply), and poses other difficulties. Furthermore, this arrangement can be cumbersome for use during patient transport, during home use, and in other situations, due to the unwieldy water chamber and large power demands.
Other conventional methods for humidifying gas include the use of a passive heat and moisture exchanger (HME). FIG. 1B illustrates an HME 150 that includes a conduit 151 and a hydrophilic foam filter 153. Dry gas may be provided to the foam filter 153, which contains water therein, therefore humidifying the gas, which is provided to a patient. While an HME can be placed in a patient circuit, it does not reliably provide adequate humidification.
These and other problems exist.